FESTIVALS IN NOVEMBER: From Halloween to Bonfire's Night

Today we are travelling around the world to watch a video and read a text about some typical English-speaking festivals and traditions celebrated on the first week of November. I hope you enjoy the trip! :)

1) Let's start with Halloween, of course!

We are travelling to the USA, fasten your seat belts please...

Halloween Scares up Tricks, Treats in US 

Every year, on the last day of October, children in the U.S. dress up in their most creative costumes to celebrate Halloween. In this report by VOA's Laura Ellsworth, Jim Bertel tells how this big event for children has also become an event that means big profits for some businesses.

 

 QUESTIONS ON THE VIDEO

1.1) Which are the origins of Halloween? Did you already know them? .....................................................

1.2) How is Halloween celebrated in your own country? .........................................................................

 

2) And now let's travel to the UK to celebrate Bonfire's Night!

Read the following article about this traditional UK festival celebrated on the first Saturday of November.

Light it up on Bonfire's Night

 QUESTIONS ON THE READING

2.1) Did you already know the origins of Bonfire's night? ........................................................................

2.2) Have you ever watched a Bonfire's night celebration in the UK? What did you enjoy most? ...............

Smell like a Monster (LEVEL: Intermediate)

Commercials (or TV advertisements) use a very specific vocabulary and images to attract potential buyers.
Today we are going to watch and compare a couple of videos: a real TV commercial and a parody of the same TV commercial.

KEY WORDS:  (to) advertise - advertisement - buyer - clam - commercial - deodorant - diamonds - parody - products - scent - (to) smell 

1.1) LISTENING ACTIVITY
Let's have a look at the original video first:
 

 
1.2) WRITING & SPEAKING ACTIVITY
QUESTIONS 
1- Have you watched this commercial before? ........................ When and where? ...................................
2- Which product is advertised? ............................................................................................................
  
2.1) LISTENING & READING ACTIVITY
Now let's watch the original video subtitled in English:

2.2) WRITING & SPEAKING ACTIVITY
QUESTIONS 
1- Which are the main characteristics of the product? ..................................................................
2- Do you think it is a good advertisement? ............. Why or why not? ........................................
3- Do you like the commercial? ..............Why or why not? .........................................................

3.1) LISTENING & READING ACTIVITY
And now let's have a look at this parody video by Sesame Street:

3.2) WRITING & SPEAKING ACTIVITY
QUESTIONS 
1- Had you watched this parody commercial before? .........................When and where? ...............
2- Which product is advertised? ....................................................................................................
    Which are the main characteristics of the product? .....................................................................
3- Do you like the commercial? ................................Why or why not? ...........................................
4- Compare the two commercials. Which commercial do you prefer? .......... Why? .........................

That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed the two videos! :)

European Union: 27 Countries,1 Single Market: (LEVEL: Intermediate)

  The European Union consists of 27 countries sharing 1 single market.
26,836 citizens in 27 EU Member States have been interviewed for the latest Eurobarometer survey on the Single Market. Their views are summarized in the following video.

KEY WORDS:  awareness - (to) be treated - (to) benefit - brand products - citizens - competitive - concern - (to) counterfeit - corruption - currency - e-shopping - fake products - favouritism - goods - hairdresser - language barriers - perception - procurement - trade - working conditions.

READING ACTIVITY (INTERMEDIATE LEVEL)

A) Watch the video twice:
1) The first time, watch it non-stop and try to get a general idea.
2) The second time, pause it when necessary to read all the messages in detail and think about them.

WRITING & SPEAKING ACTIVITY (INTERMEDIATE LEVEL)

A) What do European people think? ............................................................................................................

B) List the advantages of  having 1 single EU Market ...................................................................................
C) List the disadvantages of having 1 single EU Market ...............................................................................
D) What do you think about it? ...................................................................................................................

OPTIONAL: READING & WRITING ACTIVITY (ADVANCED LEVEL)

The full results of the survey are available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/strategy/index_en.htm#20concerns

Check them and write your opinion about them.